Recapping device.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

No.V 735,047.

W., T. ALSO?. Riz-@Amma nEvmE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED NOV. 19, 1900.

E0 HDDBL.

www@ f @siren STATES Patented August 4, 1903.

.VILLIAM T. ALSOP, OF OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY.

RECAPPING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.4'7355047, dated August4, 1903.

Application tiled November 19,1900. Serial Nol 36,987. (No model.)

To all whom it 'muy mmc/:rn: Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. ALsoP',citizen of the United States, and a resident of Owensboro, Daviesscounty, State of Kentucky, have invented acertain new and usefulRecapping Device; and Ido declare that the 'following is a descriptionthereof sufficiently clear, full, and exact as to enable 0thers skilledinthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same,^attentionbeing called to the accompanying drawings, with the reference-numeralsmarked thereon, which form also a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a device whereby inammunition-shells which have been used and are otherwise in condition tfor reuse the exploded cap (or primer) may be .removed and replaced byanew one. My invention provides for such purpose a certain implementconstructed as hereinafter shown and described 'and whereby the old caprendered useless by the firing of the shell is removed from the latterahd replaced by a new one.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in theclaim, is found afull description of the invention, together with itsmanner of use, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, in a side elevationwith parts broken away, shows the implement as being used for the purposcof removing an exploded cap (the same'ha ving just been expelled)and with parts ina corresponding position. Fig. 2, in a similar view,shows the device as used for the purpose of replacing in asubscquentmanipulation a new capfor the one removed, the new cap havingjust beenplaced, and the parts are in a corresponding'position. Fig. 3 is a topView of the device with the operatinglevcr removed. Fig. l shows ascctional vicw of a shell with an auxiliary part ot' my device inposition.

'lhc implementconsists,s Vosta 1tially, ol` a. suitable base (i, asuitable t'. vice, preferably in shape of a lever 7, for exertingpressure, and an intermediate lauxiliary dcvice'S, not connected to anypart of the implement, whereby the action of this pressure-exertingdevice is caused to be transmitted to the parts to beacted upon. Theleverispivotallysupported on an upright or post 9 and normally held in araised position bya spring 11 to facilitate placing of the shell underit. This latter is indicated by 12and 'is provided in its base with acustomary perforation 13, forming a socket, which is occupied Aby thecap in the usual way.

In order to remove the exploded cap from a fired shell, the auxiliarydevice is inserted thereinto, as shown in Fig. 4, such deviceconsisting, substantially, ofa guide-piece 8, occupied in its centralbore bya drift-pin 14:. The diameter of this guide-piece is such as tofit freely into the shell, and it serves to bring the lower end of thedrift-pin immediately above the inner end of the exploded cap, on whichlatter the drift-pin then rests. The length of this latter is such thatit projects at this time above its guide-piece as shown in Fig. Lt. Thetwo as so shown in Fig. 4 are now placed under the., elevated pressuredeviceutlever 7 in this case,) the position being, further, such as tobring the outer (now lower) end of the cap immediately above aperforation 15 in the base. 4The finding of this position is facilitatedbya gage 16, held in position ou base 6, the connection being adjustableby means of a set-screw 17 if shells of various caliber are worked upon.The pressure-exerting device or lever 7 is now caused to actagainst theprojecting upper end of drift-pin 14, as shown'in Fig. 1, whereupon itslower end enters the socket occupied by the exploded cap and displacesthe same. Then the device is used on shells of various sizes and wherethe size of the caps may be different., it is preferable to haveperforation 15 contained in a plug 18, of which there are adesirednumber, all of equal outer diameter and fitted to and tapped into theupper end of a larger perforation 19 in,base 6. Socketholes 2l areprovided to permit use of a suitable tool or wrench when exchangebecomes necessary.

Innncdiately after expulsion of the eX- ploded cap or while such is donewith one hand a new cap, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, is placedwith the other hand into a. socket 22, formed by and contained within aplug 23, which is yieldingly supported by a spring 24 within a recess 25of base 6. The

lower end of this socket is closed by a pin 26,

upon which the new cap rests, as shown in Fig. 1, and the diameter ofwhich is such as to fit into socket 22. lf caps of various sizes areused, plug 23 and pin v26 are made each exchangeable, for which purposethis latter is held in base 6 by means of a screw connection, theinsertion being in this case from below. This permits also adjustment ofthe upper end of this pin to adjust lthe depth of the socket to suit theheight of the cap and to permit this latter to fully enter said socketwithout projecting above plug 23. The shell, with auxiliary device 8still within, is now slid over onto plug 23, so as to be centrally.above socket 22 therein, Which position is determined by another gage orstop 27, held adjustably to base 6 by a set-screw 28 above. The findingof this position is facilitated by a projection 29 on the under side oflever 7, against which the upper end of device 8 contacts while movedover. The pressure-exertingdevice or lever 7 is now again'caused tooperate, acting in this case against the upper end of part 8, thedrift-pin remaining in its depressed position, in which it was left bythe previous manipulation. This action on lever 7 causes the lower endof part 8 to bear against the inside or bottom of the shell, therebycarrying this latter down and depressing` thereby also plug 23 againstthe a'c-v tion of spring 24. Since pin 26 with the cap on its upper endcannot yield, it is clear that` this latter is caused to enter theperforation intended for and forming its socket in the bottom of theshell. lVhile so passing in drift-pin 14 yields freely upwardly, itsupper end passing into a groove or slot 31, cnt into the lever 7. Onrelease of lever 7 spring 24 carries plug 23, with the shell thereon, upagain`, after which the latter, recapped now, maybe removed. lt ispreferable to limit in a positive way the depressingV of plug 23, whichneed not be any more than equal to the height of the cap. Such may bedone by a stop or shoulder, which may be obtained by increasing in,thickness the lower or screwthreaded part of pin 26, as shown, andagainst which ,the lower end of plug 23 becomes seated when depressed.

Itis preferable to hold drift-pin 14 within part 8 in a manner toprevent it :from dropping out when the device Vis handled. This asshown,

may be done byja set-screw 32,

reader which holds the pin without interfering with its movement anduse.

It will be observed that'in all manipula tions the bottom of the shellis firmly and fully held and supported in the first manipulation on plug18 and in the second between the lower end of part 8 and plug 23, so asto prevent injury to it or loss of shape. During the second orIrecapping manipulation part 8 is` doing the Work, while during thefirst it merely serves as a guidefor the driftpin, while this lattereXpels the exploded cap. It is evident that if it were found expedientfor certain reasons the cap-expelling part of this device and therecapping part thereof might be separated, so as to form independn entimplements, each having its own pressure-exerting device.

Having described my invention, I claim as new- A combined device forexpelling used caps from ammunition-shells and inserting new ones,consisting of a base, a pressure-exerting lever supported above Vit in amanner to have a movement toor from the same, an independentauxiliarydevice 8 whereby the pressure exerted by the lever istransmitted, the same fitted to be received by a shell, but projectingabove the same, a drift-pin loosely carried by this auxiliary device,but longer than it and having a limited movement therein, a perforation15 in the base and a'perforated plug 23 yieldingly supported alsoin thisbase, sure-exerting lever, 26 closing the lower part of the perforationin plug 23 and forming the bottom of a recess above it adapted toreceive a cap, a groove 31 in the under side of the lever and in thatpart of-it which is above plug 23, to clear the 'upper end of thedrift-pin, a gage or stop 27 adjustably attached to the top of the baseto define the position ofthe shell below and a projection 29 on thelever to define the position of the auxiliary device 8 above when cominglaterally in contact with the same.

ln testimony whereof l hereunto set my hand in the presence of twoWitnesses.

WILLrAM T. ALsoP.

Wfitnesscs:

C. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE.

both centrally alined below the presl a tixedy-supported pin IOO

